Gabi Gaarder
Geology BS and Geography Minor
Gabi Gaarder
(they/them)
BS in Geology
BA in Portuguese Language
Minor in Geography
Geospatial Information Analysis Certificate
​
https://gabigaarder.wixsite.com/eportfolio
(407)-233-7042
About
MY BACKGROUND
I am an undergraduate geology student interested in climate science and solutions. I have taken coursework in both geology and geography and am curious about the intersections between geology and ecology. Currently, I research paleoenvironment, analyzing how the environment reacted to and recovered from the KPG mass extinction event. I am interested in climate and environmental change, whether related to past mass extinctions or our modern changing climate.
​
Research
I conduct research with the department of geology, specifically in the field of environmental paleomagnetism. Currently, I analyze samples dated to the KPG extinction event for changes in magnetic signals. This will hopefully reveal ecological changes as the paleoenvironment reacted to and recovered from a mass extinction event, which will provide data as to how a modern day Earth may react to the modern day extinction event. There are currently no paleoenvironmental studies which provide information on diverse paleoenvironmental changes and have an extended focus from the Late Cretaceous through the early Paleogene. My goal is to fill this gap using environmental magnetism.
Project Information
Research Project: Rock magnetic characterization of marine sediments across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary
​
PI: Dr. Courtney Sprain
​
Institution/Department: University of Florida; Geology Department
​
Time Affiliated: 2 yrs
​
​
​
Project Responsibilities
In this project, my responsibilities include handling and running samples in a lab, ensuring production of sensical output from the magnetometer, exporting the data and organizing it into charts, and analyze the data. ​ More specifically, I note down the identifying information of each 2cm by 2cm chalk cube, then crush the cube into a fine powder using a quartz mortar and pestle and sieve the powder into a pill capsule. After placing the sample in the magnetometer, I conduct susceptibility experiments and keep watch over the outputs, which include remanence curves and hysteresis loops. These outputs reveal the magnetometry of the samples, thereby indicating how magnetic mineralogy of the marine sediments changed over space and time.
Example Hysteresis Loop
Coursework
Major: Geology
Certificate: Geospatial Information Analysis
Minor: Geography
Double Major: Portuguese Language
Relevant Coursework
-
Structural Geology and Tectonics
​
-
Field Camp
​
-
Limnology
​
-
Instrumental Methods
​
-
Digital Image Processing
​
-
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
​
-
Sedimentary Geology
​
-
Geologic Field Methods
​
-
Principles of Mineralogy
​
-
Physical Geology
​
-
Historical Geology
​
-
Quantitative Methods in Earth Sciences
​
-
Physical Geography
​
-
Foundations of GIS
​
-
Geovisualization Map Design
CV
Computational Skills​
ArcGIS Pro ​ Adobe Illustrator ​ Adobe Photoshop ​ Python ​ Microsoft Suite
Technical Skills​​​
Kappabridge Bulk Susceptibility ​ Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) ​ Sample Preparation ​ Sample Organization
Research Experience
Researcher in the Greenland Microscope Lab
August 2023 - April 2024
​
Microscope work with Greenland sediment samples, sorted by mineralogy, under Dr. Ellen Martin and Tatiana Salinas.
Researcher in the Neil D. Opdyke Paleomagnetic Lab
January 2023 - Present
Measured magnetic signals on marine sediments via paleomagnetic methods (susceptibility, magnetometry, hysteresis analysis), under Dr. Courtney Sprain.